Along the Lakeshore: Aug. 28

Hydrants look good, fire flow still an issue

I must say that I was very impressed with the results of the comment that “somebody” should get hopping on the hydrant painting project, reported after one of the village board meetings. Lo and behold, the hydrants all turned red in two weeks, with black caps on the super hydrants for direct truck connection. They look fine. In most places, municipal projects are not accomplished with such timeliness and good execution.

Now the only challenge is that water may not come out in the quantity or pressure required. It will not be as simple a project as getting the hydrant beautified. I recall that at one time there was a color coding that indicated which hydrant would supply a more substantial amount of water than the standard one. Mr. Lemon does not favor one fire plug over another. They’re all adequate as far as he is concerned and he doesn’t care if they are yellow, green or red.

I am sure the powers that be have known for some time that certain areas of the village have inadequate flow and pressure, but it was not discussed and debated until the Victory Sports controversy brought it to the floor for general public discussion.

I had two hydrants, one across the street and one in front of the house, when I lived in the village. The pump tanker trucks used to fill from both of them and I always felt I was fully protected. However, I guess it was an illusion, as neither 6-inch line had much flow or pressure when lots of water was needed. The water in the house was always cloudy and nasty after one of those barnburner situations. I would encourage the water department to move ahead and get the problem solved.

I heard that a sports facility has just opened in Victor, N.Y., about 60 miles away. It has all the features that were in the Victory Sports proposal, with the advantage that it is right at the New York State Thruway exit, close to hotels, restaurants and shopping malls. Also, Route 490 quickly takes you to downtown Rochester and all that the city has to offer. I feel this facility certainly trumps having one in Skaneateles and further investment other than a medical office for the practice and physical therapy would be unwise.

The six lady Mallards are still around and they were all on the dock last night. The dock is sort of at water level, but fortunately they stick to it rather than trying out my other two docks. They might try the swim ladder platform on the Samuel Clyde and that would not be very good either.

Joseph Spalding is a long-time Skaneateles resident who enjoys sharing his observations about the Skaneateles lakeshore and community. He can be reached at 685-6937.